Thermoelectric generators are known per se and are used to produce power by converting thermal energy directly into electricity. For a reasonable performance it is desired that one thermoelectric generator comprises at least a hundred pairs of electrically connected thermocouples comprising piles of a p type material and an n type material. Usually the thermocouples are electrically connected in series, whereby the piles are structured between two substantially parallel surfaces.
A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric generator is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,330. The known method comprises steps of forming a stripe-shaped pattern on a substrate using photolithography of a photosensitive resist followed by a step of providing a polymer film on the underside of the substrate for forming first thermoelectric bodies and second thermoelectric bodies, coating the first thermoelectric bodies and the second thermoelectric bodies with a thermosetting resist followed by dissolving the substrate and the electrode film thereafter.
It is a disadvantage of the known method that piles of the thermocouples are fully formed and produced by a complicated and expensive photolithography method. It is a further disadvantage of the known method that an aspect ratio of the piles is limited due to inherent limitations of photolithography.